Hello Saturday — it’s nice to see you again!

I know, I know… long time no post. I promise, I’m trying to be more consistent with sharing content, but I’ve been feeling a bit unmotivated the past couple months, hence my lower activity level here on Just Jen Things. I’ve learned it’s not always rainbows and butterflies when it comes to writing and blogging, but I’ve been doing my best to keep the creative spark ignited despite the roller coaster of emotions I’ve been experiencing this year.

Since our last Saturday chat three weeks ago on Halloween, things have been crazy. Between Election Day and all the round two COVID-19 spikes wreaking havoc on the world, daily life has become so! mentally! exhausting! I stopped routinely watching the news back in April, but 24/7 news is everywhere which makes it hard to escape all the negativity 100% of the time, you know what I mean?

Anyways, it’s hard to believe Thanksgiving is right around the corner; anyone else feel like we went from Labor Day to Thanksgiving in the blink of an eye? The month of November has been flying by and it’s crazy to think that December will be upon us in no time. I’m excited for December though as it means my birthday, Christmas, and a whole lot of extra vacation days. The holiday season is a time of joy and cheer and I’m looking forward to some extra time off work to relax and recharge — Lord knows I need it BAD this year.

All that being said, what have you all been up to the past few weeks? I’ve been keeping a low profile, drinking too many homemade pumpkin spice lattes, and continually resisting the urge to put up Christmas decorations. I want to enjoy all things fall and pumpkins and autumnal candles through Thanksgiving, and I’m a firm believer in celebrating one-holiday-at-a-time, so I’m not letting myself get in the Christmas spirit quite yet. It seems the majority of the Internet jumped on the early November Christmas train, which puts me in the Grinch minority I guess. I’ve been seeing Christmas decor and gift guides all over Instagram and Facebook since November 1st. Not saying it’s a bad thing though… I’ll be joining the Christmas club soon enough!

Before we jump into this week’s Hello Saturday, I wanted to share a funny “would you rather” question I saw on Instagram stories last night. It fit my humor really well and made me laugh out loud, so I thought it’d be fun to share here, you ready for it?

“Would you rather live through 2020 again or that year where every public place was simultaneously playing Radioactive by Imagine Dragons all the time?”

Tough choice, haha. I low key love that Imagine Dragons has become the new age Nickelback.

Highlight of the Week: I upgraded my phone to the new iPhone 12!

New phone, who dis? In the spirit of purely selfish interests, I upgraded my iPhone this past week. I’ve had my iPhone XR for almost two years now, so I felt okay upgrading to the iPhone 12, though I admit there’s absolutely nothing wrong with my old phone. I’m setting up my new phone later today (waiting for my screen protectors because #clumsy) and I’m really excited about the top tier camera features and the more square design look and feel. Full transparency, I always hate paying so much money for a phone, but I wanted to do something nice for myself and I had a little extra money leftover in the budget to splurge. Our phones have become little mini computers that we use and rely on every day, so I feel the price is justified. But it’s still a big purchase nonetheless!

What I’ve Been Watching:

Normal People. I read the book earlier this year and since I’ve been in tv show limbo lately, I decided to give this short series a watch on Hulu. I actually really liked the tv show — it progressed very slowly but was portrayed in an almost identical fashion to the book (which I love).
Holidate. I watched this movie a couple weekends ago while I was doing things around the house. It’s a quirky rom-com about two people who aren’t looking for anything more than a date to bring out with them on the holidays. But it’s a rom-com, so you know how that works out!
The Bachelorette. Happy for Dale & Clare, but thank goodness for Tayshia! She’s been so fun to watch as she’s so personable and genuine. The Man Child date was too much for me though. I’ve got to ask — Team Ed or Team Chasen?
Married At First Sight Season 9. This is not my favorite show, but I’ve been watching it because I’m fascinated by arranged marriages. I listened to a podcast the other week and heard spoilers for who does and doesn’t stay together, but I’ve still been watching the season anyways. I think Deonna & Greg are my favorite couple as they seem to be the most well-balanced.

What I've Been Listening to — Music & Podcasts:

love + everything else by John K. I came across this new album on iTunes and loved it on my first listen through. It’s a pop album with lots of groove and good beats. My favorite tracks from the album include parachute, cheap sunglasses, learning how to love, and happiness. So many good choices!
Strangers / Lovers by Dagny. Ugh, I love her music so much, this album included. Somebody, Coulda Woulda Shoulda, and It’s Only A Heartbreak are three really great bops, but the whole album is worthy of a listen.
Drunk On Emotions and Drunk On Emotions (Stripped) by Clara Mae. I liked both of these projects. Loved You Once and Unmiss You are such good heartfelt songs.
Drinkin’ Songs: The Collection by MacKenzie Porter. I loved her song These Days when I first heard it as a single awhile back. Between These Days, Drinkin’ Songs, and About You, this short album makes me feel so nostalgic. I’m looking forward to hearing more music from her in the future.
GALLERY and ASYLUM by A R I Z O N A. These aren’t new albums, but I love this band and listen to these two albums quite often.
Gravity by Gryffin. This album was released last year and I forgot how much I liked it. I don’t listen to a lot of dance-pop but this one is so good. Plus it has OMG with Carly Rae Jepsen and that song is a total banger.
Married at First Sight’s Amber Bowles on Mouthing Off with Olivia Caridi. Where I got my Married at First Sight spoilers haha. I really like Amber and I’m hoping she finds all the happiness she deserves.

From Around the Web:

Let’s talk Thanksgiving this week. Between the food feasts, the extra bits of gratefulness, and the shopping deals, I love all things Thanksgiving week, and I hope you do too. Remember to be mindful of the pandemic restrictions in your state — if we limit our family gatherings, we can help do our part to stop the spread of the virus. Be creative with your Thanksgiving plans this year and remember to be grateful for all the little blessings in your life. Cheers to making new memories this holiday season!

5 Essential Thanksgiving Safety Reminders Doctors Want You to Remember. I loved this article as it provides several reminders for pandemic holiday celebrations. TLDR:
- Remember that COVID-19 spikes occur as a result of gathering on major holidays
- We don’t have a vaccine yet, so help protect those who are high risk
- Don’t let COVID-19 conversations be based on politics (I mean, where are the “COVID-19 will be gone after the election” people now? — oops, did I just ask that question?)
- Be mindful of how you travel for holidays this year
- It’s a crazy year; create innovative ways to celebrate with family
Thinking About Having A Holiday Gathering This Year? Read This First. Being close to family, it’s been hard to stay away from those I love this year. But I’m hoping for some good news and a return to normalcy in 2021. It’s a tough time of year to choose to separate yourself from family, but do it for the greater good, especially if your gathering takes place out of state.
I’m no baker, but these non-traditional Thanksgiving desserts look amazing! Are you skipping the pie this year? I’m not that big into pie anyways…
The lazy parent’s guide to a memorable Thanksgiving dinner. Because cooking is stressful, haha!
OK yum, check out these 52 Thanksgiving Cocktail Recipes We Can All Be Grateful For. Now to figure out which one I’ll be making come Thursday.
7 People on the Cooking Traditions They’ll Keep for the 2020 Holidays — And the Ones They’ll Quit. Another good read this week. Our Thanksgiving will be simple but filled with some of our favorite staples. Stuffing is a non-negotiable in our household.
Thoughts on a Zoom Thanksgiving? Sounds kind of fun right?
Grateful hearts amid the pandemic. So important to be grateful.
7 Self-Care Tips If You're Missing Thanksgiving With Loved Ones. Love these ideas, plus I’ve never seen 30 Rock.
The Best Holiday Gifts Come From Small Businesses. A reminder to shop small and support local businesses. They need our help more than ever this year, so let’s help them out in any way we can. I’ll be sharing shop local options on my Instagram in the coming weeks.

That’s all for this week, friends. I hope you have a fun and relaxing weekend. I’m so excited for the short work week next week. We’ll catch up again next weekend after Thanksgiving!

PS — The weather has been so amazing here in North Carolina this past week. I took so many pictures of the clear blue skies throughout the week, so I thought I’d share as a closing remark. Sunny blue skies inspire so much creativity for me, so it’s been a good week. Enjoy!

11/15/20: